Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Harbinger
by Brackenstream
Summary: "I scraped myself from the rock I was perched on, landing on the sand with a soft 'thump', a noise that was quiet among the rustling sounds of the brush behind me and the loud hiss of the surf kissing the shore. I got to my feet, steadying myself. I began to think of other scenarios. If this was hell, then where were the demons?"


p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"My mind throbbed and ached unpleasantly as I sat on the shoreline, letting the waves wash my feet with salty residue, gritty bits and pieces of sand and rock that had been eroded from seashores all around the world. It made my head spin to think that the water sloshing at my paws had once been miles and miles out, touching the borders of countries everywhere./p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I had to lie down, burying my head into my hands, the unnatural curve of my four-legged body sticking prominently out in my mind, what vestiges of it I had left. I had already decided that I was going insane, and I was certain that I was mentally handicapped at this point, running around amuck without a thought in the entire world, unsure of what my future held for me. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I couldn't remember what I'd been doing just mere moments ago, and that scared me. How had I gotten to this point? I really couldn't answer that question, and that inquiry in itself was a horrifically frightening hole of inky blackness that I couldn't see down. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I sat up, my mind ceasing its relentless whirl around my head, sitting down and resting. My legs wobbled, my knees - or what I assumed were knees in this strange form that wasn't anatomically correct in correspondence to what I knew as my body - buckled, and I moved hurriedly away from the shoreline, trembling and shaking to a rock just up the beach somewhat./span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" It was large, sturdy, a rusty bronze, like the sun had tanned it to a crisp, its metallic minerals shining through, reflecting the light. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
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p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I clambered to the top, my paws unsteady and new against the steep face. Despite nearly falling several times, I concluded my journey to the peak and looked about. I could see a steep cliff to the right of me with a steadily sloping path leading upward toward a town, just barely visible from where I sat low beneath the hill. The mountain tapered even higher still to a large peak, flattened at the top with a small tent wavering like a flag in the distance, looming over everything, including the beach. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I found my maw gaping open inadvertently, and I closed it, my tongue still feeling unusually large in my new mouth. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"At first, I hadn't freaked too badly. I had shrieked once, which was a record for someone like me, who didn't usually keep so calm during situations such as these - though I really have had no previous experiences at this point - and had raced around a bit, expecting to jerk awake like so many times before. I had attempted to pinch myself, but found it exceedingly difficult, as I seemed to lack fingers of any kind. Instead, at the root of what used to be my arms, pale and a little too long for my taste, were stubs, just paws, with stiff appendages that weren't nearly as flexible as a human's./span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" It had taken me a moment to take in the scenario, just a moment too long, but when I'd finally realized what the ordeal demanded of me, I'd calmed myself best I could and set down by the ocean, where I'd thought about what to do. The stress I'd felt when I'd realized that I couldn't remember a single thing about myself was unbearable, and I could almost swear I'd fainted right then and there, my head falling into the surf. I probably would have drowned if I hadn't stood and paced about. No, scratch that, I probably wouldn't have drowned, given I could technically breathe underwater now. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"The reflection that looked back at me in the water was hardly my own, bearing the visage of a Pokemon all new Hoenn Trainers knew well, a Water-type that not one person didn't recognize. I think that's when I started to go insane. Or, I could have been insane right from the get-go, I'll never know. One moment, I'm a human, then there's a long pause in my life in which my mind was not able to grasp everything, thus resulting in a permanent memory loss, and the next moment, I'm a Mudkip, which, by the way, was far from my favorite Pokemon. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I scraped myself from the rock I was perched on, landing on the sand with a soft 'thump', a noise that was quiet among the rustling sounds of the brush behind me and the loud hiss of the surf kissing the shore. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I got to my feet, steadying myself. I began to think of other scenarios. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"If this was hell, then where were the demons? /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"A soft bubble, perfectly spherical and shimmering in front of the descending sun, lifted itself from over my head and floated into the horizon, wafting on the invisible wind. It was quickly joined by others, all the same in complexion and shape, some larger, some smaller than others. They drifted into the distance, dancing together like they'd practiced their whole lives for this show, like this was a once-in-a-lifetime matinee they had planned for eons, and I was their sole audience member. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I watched them for a long while, feeling my worries and concerns float away with the bubbles, vanishing toward the countries beyond, into the world in front of me. Sitting by the ocean then, watching the sun dunk itself into the far-away sea, the waves covering it like a comforter at the end of a long night, I felt completely at ease and happy with myself. It was an emotion I hadn't felt in a while, even though my memories were hazy at best. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"The stress melted away, but so did the sunset, the brilliance of the oranges and pinks swiftly blending with slow colors like navy blues and deep purples. Dusk was upon the land, stars dotting the sky. I connected them into constellations, but none of the pictures I created were familiar to me, and I erased the slate with a jumbled mind. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"Silent footsteps eased across the sand, and I leaped into the air, jumping backward into the surf, waves splashing me. My back met the sea head-on, and a mouthful of salt water entered my throat. I leaned forward, coughing, hacking my lungs out. I realized then, which would probably come in handy later, that Water Pokemon actually couldn't breathe underwater. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Are you all right? I didn't mean to frighten you!" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I rubbed my bleary eyes with my paws, which were still miraculously dry despite my encounter with the ocean. My face burned like a thousand suns had lit it on fire, but I managed to make out the blurry picture in front of me, a green and red smudge on my lenses, elongated against the outlandish background of summery beiges. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"When I didn't respond and instead attempted to help myself to my feet, the figure that belonged to the voice stooped down and grabbed my shoulders gently, aiding my weary effort to stand. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I rubbed my eyes a little more, and the silhouette began to emerge as a person with a face. In front of me crouched a Treecko, no taller than me at the spot he was at now, but definitely a few inches higher than my full height when he stood. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Are you okay?" he asked again, standing now, like I knew he would. He wasn't nearly as tall as I'd thought he'd be, and I could easily speak to him without feeling overwhelmed. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I cleared my throat, which was gritty from the sand and the sea salt. "I'm fine," I croaked, my voice strange and new, like I was learning to speak again. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"My heart lurched at that moment, my muscles tightening, clenching. I gritted my teeth together, whispering under my breath, "You just spoke." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"The Treecko tilted his head, rubbing his arm. "Uhm, what?" he asked, his expression close to that of sincere worry. "What'd you say?" He forced a laugh. "I couldn't hear you, sorry." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Nothing," I snapped quickly, standing and pacing away from the Pokemon by my side. "N-nothing at all. I'm perfectly fine. Sorry to have bothered you." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Hey!" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"The Pokemon intercepted me, standing between me and freedom, which lay right near the sloping cliff in front of me and behind him. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Are you sure you're okay? You're acting kind of strange. Who are you, anyway? You're a new face. I've never seen you around here." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""My name's not important," I decided, though from the moment I'd entered this world I'd clung to it like it were my only ticket out of here. It was the only bit of myself I could remember. At least, the only bit I knew for a fact was true. I couldn't understand it, but my name stuck out like a sore thumb, as if it were the one last remaining memory of my old life. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""How about you?" I shot back at him, sitting down, since I figured I wasn't going anywhere fast. "You have a name, right? And don't tell me it's just Treecko, because I'm not falling for that." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""It's not Treecko," the Pokemon supplied, putting his hands on his hips and shaking his head. "That's more of a respectful term, anyway, duh. You know that, right? Everyone does." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"He sighed, kneeled down in front of me again./span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" "Anyway, the name's DJ. Now, who are you? I think I deserve an answer." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I glowered at this 'DJ', wondering what he meant by 'respectful term'. It must be some kind of Pokemon cultural difference. I wasn't prepared for that yet, but I made a mental note to myself to remember not to suffer from culture shock later on. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Julie," I told him, never breaking contact with his strange eyes, so different from a human's. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I wondered suddenly if Pokemon ever faced discrimination among themselves, with so many species and races. I wondered if shiny Pokemon were excluded from their own homes because they were different. I wondered if Pokemon were racist toward one another. In the wild, Pokemon only mingled together when they needed food or shelter; they never willingly joined together out of friendship or for any relationship causes. It suddenly seemed so odd to me that I'd never once given a thought to how Pokemon lived. I suddenly didn't know how to act. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Julie?" DJ repeated, nodding ever so slightly. "All right. That's a start. What're you doing out here so late? The sun's gone, you know. It's dangerous walking up that cliff by yourself at night." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Well, what're you doing out here so late?" I responded, and DJ sighed again, pulling his knees up to his chest. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Look," he said outright, and I could tell he was getting irritable. "If we keep asking each other questions like this, we won't get anywhere. We'll be out here all night, and it gets dangerous out here at night. Thieves and crooks like to come out during the night, and they aren't afraid to knock together a few heads to get what they want, if you know what I mean." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I looked down at my feet, examining their new appearances. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""I woke up here," I said almost instantly, deciding that being straightforward was the best approach to this situation. "You might want to hold on because this might blow you away." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I smiled a little at my own joke, but DJ wasn't smiling, just giving me this decidedly unique glare that told me he didn't understand. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""You woke up here?" he asked. "I really hope you have a good explanation for this because I don't." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""I do, I do," I persisted, then stopped, pausing. "Sort of. Just listen, all right? This is going to sound really strange, but I'm not a Pokemon."/span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" DJ held his head in the palm of one of his hands, tapping his temple. He didn't need to say a word for me to know that he didn't get it. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Well, yeah, I'm a Pokemon now, but I wasn't before. Before, I was a human. Like, a real-deal human," I continued, desperately trying to get this stranger to believe me, though his opinion didn't seem to matter to me in the long run./span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Like a Pokemon Trainer?" DJ asked, and I nodded enthusiastically, memories of the human world flooding back to me like a dam had been broken apart. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Yeah, yeah," I said quickly. "Just like one of those, I'm sure! I was a human! Yes, you understand." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""I don't," DJ sighed for the third time, shaking his head. He sat with his legs crossed, looking me in the eyes. "You're telling me you were a human, and now you're a Pokemon. Julie, humans don't know about this place. This island is completely devoid of humans, Trainers or alike. Even if you were a human, how'd you get here?" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""You don't believe me," I stated, grimacing. "I knew you wouldn't." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Am I supposed to?" DJ griped. "Listen, this is crazy hard to believe right now. You're a human that got turned into a Mudkip. How? How does that even happen?" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""I don't know!" I found myself shouting, stamping my feet on the ground. I was an inch away from collapsing into a brutal sobbing fit right then and there. "I don't know, that's the problem! I can't remember a damned thing! I'm so afraid right now, and you're the only person around here for miles that I even know the name of. I don't even know my own full name. I'm supposed to have a last name, a family, a history, a personality, but I don't know even those simple things. Who am I? How did I get here? Funny thing, because I'm asking myself those same questions." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I breathed heavily into the ground, slowly stretching into the sand, digging my head into the grit. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""I don't know what I'm doing," I decided. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I could hear DJ stand above me. He brought me to my feet, forcing me to stand. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Hey, Julie, why don't you come with me to my place tonight? It's really late, and you seem exhausted. Perhaps we can figure out what's going on in the morning, hm?" he suggested lightly, trying not to tell me that he thought I was crazy./span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I sighed audibly, a loud huff that blew sand from my feet. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Fine," I groaned, turning away from DJ. "Fine. What other choice have I got?" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Good, then," DJ chuckled, nervousness dripping from his laugh. "That's good. It's a walk away from here, though, right through Treasure Town. Are you all right walking?" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""I'm not handicapped," I hissed, but I doubted it myself when I remembered my episodes the last couple of hours. "I-I can walk. I don't mind." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I turned round to glance at the place where I'd woken, dazed and afraid, next to a few rocks that had been sloshed over with water since, high tide arriving rather fast. I wondered if DJ and I would be smothered, but figured we could escape from the rising water fast enough. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"A loud thud and a grunt from DJ heralded my attention, and I was knocked easily to the side by an unknown force, my body hitting the sand like a sack of flour. I wasn't able to get a grip on anything, so I fell with no trouble. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Hey!" DJ's voice resonated, but two figures floated effortlessly away from him, hovering like balloons. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I made out two Pokemon, one a Koffing, the other a Zubat. In the Zubat's mouth hung a strap, which was attached to the satchel DJ had brought with him down to the beach. I hadn't even noticed it. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"Scrabbling to his feet, DJ made a wild grab for the bag, but the Zubat brought it just out of his reach, though he was obviously struggling with the weight of whatever was in the knapsack. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Whoops, so close!" he crooned in a nasally voice, annoyingly high-pitched. His friend, the Koffing, laughed in a throatier tone than the Zubat. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""What a hefty burden you've got here," he told DJ mockingly. "I hope you don't mind if we take it off your hands. It seems like such a hindrance." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Give that back!" DJ demanded, chasing after the thieves, but the twosome darted away from his advances. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"DJ tripped, falling into the sand, and the Zubat and Koffing both laughed, an incredibly irritating sound that made me want to punch them both in their sniggering faces. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Hey, that's not yours," I spoke up, not believing myself and my bravery. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Oh, the lady wants to protect her man," the Koffing wheezed, and the Zubat snickered. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Typical," he hissed, and I felt my blood boiling. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""You morons!" I snarled. "You better run before I get a hold of you! When I do, there'll be nothing left but a couple of purple streaks on the ground!" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"At this point, the Koffing jerked his body toward the other end of the beach, muttering, "Come on, Zubat, let's get outta here, these wimps haven't got nothing else." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Right behind you, Koffing," the Zubat agreed, fluttering behind his pal, attempting to keep the heavy weight off the ground. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"They vanished into a small crack in the side of a rocky cliff, which towered upward much like the cliff face behind us. The Koffing wriggled in, giving us a mocking wink before disappearing into the cavern beyond. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Come on!" DJ urged, getting to his feet and racing toward the chasm. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""What?" I found myself squeaking, despite the fact that I had just willingly shrieked at a couple of dastardly criminals. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""We've got to get my stuff back!" DJ told me hastily, already bellying up to the crack in the rock wall./span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""What did you have in there, anyway?" I asked, loping up beside DJ, helping him squeeze into the sliver in the wall./span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" "Some stuff," DJ lied, poking his head from the cavern and yanking on my paws, pulling me into the cave. "Some very important, very sentimental, very irreplaceable stuff, all right? Now, come on, you'll help me, right?" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""But we can't just -" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Thanks, you're a great help," DJ decided, clapping me on my shoulder hard, vanishing further into the cavern. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Wait!" I shouted after him, my voice echoing in the small room. "Wait for me, DJ! Wait! I never agreed to any of this, you idiot! I still need to figure out why I'm a Pokemon!" I toddled after him on my legs, significantly smaller and shorter than his, and still wobbling and flailing about like a newborn's. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Wait!" I shrieked for the fourth time. "DJ, I'm not used to these legs yet! Hold on! Please!" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I nearly busted into him, panting like someone who's never run any distance in their life. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Oh, Arceus, please wait for me next time, I'm not used to running around on four legs," I coughed, wheezing, trying to draw in breath./span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""You really are a human, aren't you?" DJ decided, out of breath, but not nearly as winded as me. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Yes!" I growled. "Yes, now what are we doing? Why'd you stop?" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""No real reason," DJ laughed, gesturing outward with his hands. "Except this." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"In front of us, a large pool of water extended below us, the bottom to a very large drop-off, which ended in what looked like death and destruction with a big heaping side of denial. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""They went down emthere/em?" I gaped, swallowing my more negative sentences. "Down emthere/em?" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Unless they flew through the roof, yeah," DJ decided sarcastically. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"He knelt down, swung his legs over the edge, and turned around, grasping to the side of the rock face. He began to descend, and I felt my heart skip a beat. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""DJ!" I snarled. "What the hell are you doing?" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""I'm getting my stuff back," the Treecko's voice ascended to me. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I peered eerily over the edge, expecting a large vertical drop. It wasn't as bad as I'd feared, but still pretty high up compared to what I was used to. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""If you get halfway down, it's safe to jump," DJ called up to me, letting go of the wall and plummeting to the water below./span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" I gasped loudly, withdrawing from the wall quickly, not wanting to see the Pokemon hit the small pond below us. When I heard a splash and DJ's voice call, "Come on, Julie, your turn!", I peeked over the side of the cliff again to see him floating in the water. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""It's not that bad! The water's even a little warm," he shouted to me./span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""You're crazy!" I snarled, clutching the edge of the rock with what I had for fingers. "Completely mad!" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Do it, you baby!" DJ shouted at me, and I sighed, clambering against the wall, sliding down it, my paws shaking. In fact, I was certain my whole body was shaking. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""I'm not a baby!" I called back down. "SEE?" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"At that point, a rock I was grasping on to gave way, breaking underneath my body weight. I screamed, embarrassingly loudly, and fell to the pond below. I hit the water with a sickening splash, the waves splitting as I smashed into the liquid. I inhaled the sea for the second time that hour and swam, panicked, to the surface, spitting out and hacking up water as well as my lungs. I groped for the shore and hauled myself up, breathing deeply, needing air. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Why do you have the worst ideas?" I asked, completely waterlogged./span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" DJ, just as wet as I was, but handling it a lot better than me, clambered onto the surface beside me, laughing, trying to breathe. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Stop playing around in the water and let's go," he said, leading me deeper into the chasm. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""I need to stop following you," I whispered more to myself than to him, my legs shaking, my chest heaving. "You are an idiot." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I strode after DJ, hoping he didn't completely kill me by the time our little excursion was over. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I could just barely see him through the darkness that was beginning to envelope the chasm. A soft shaft of light beamed weakly through a cracked hole in the ceiling far, far above us that illuminated the cavern just slightly, but there was no radiance to see by other than that. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"DJ paused again, stopping at a corner. We had run for what seemed like five or six minutes, following the horrendous stench of the Koffing and the dark grey-brown smog he had left behind until we had encountered a small pit in the cave, a room lower than the rest, much like the cliff face we had crawled down into the water previously. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""They're in there," DJ told me, pointing toward two shadowy figures in the distance, almost crouched. They seemed hunched over DJ's bag, a small hump in the ground. Their voices were soft but still reverberated about the cave, ricocheting toward us. We could make out a muffled conversation, something about DJ's loot and how it lacked brilliance and interest. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"DJ scrabbled to the floor below, gesturing for me to follow him. I did, not so afraid of heights as much as I was before. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"The silhouettes at the far end of the pit started, jerking out of their reverie of gold and silvers and money. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Ah!" the Zubat hissed, leaping into the air. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"The Koffing turned round instantly to glower at us. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Oh, so you came back," he groaned. "That's never fun. What, were you afraid of giving up or something?" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Yeah, this bag is ours now, so screw off!" the Zubat shot at us, guarding the satchel protectively. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""That's mine, actually," DJ hissed, pointing directly at his bag coolly. "Give it back, now." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Never," the Koffing decided, spewing gaseous streams from its pores. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I coughed once, but tried to hide it, not wanting the opposing party to think they'd found a weak spot. I'd always hated Koffing I remembered suddenly. They were so smelly and tended to make me choke. Funny how I remembered the strangest things at the most inopportune of times, but at least I was remembering something. Maybe my memory would come back entirely later, though I doubted it. I held a small bit of hope in my heart, however. Deep in the recesses of my body, I wondered if it might. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""If you really want your purse so bad, come get it," the Koffing challenged, and I could see the glint in DJ's eyes. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Oh, no," I hissed. "No, you're not," /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""I am," DJ growled at me. "Come on, Julie, it's the only way I'm getting my stuff back." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Still don't know what this stuff is," I breathed quietly, out of DJ's earshot. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Fine, then," DJ agreed, his attention now completely on the Koffing and Zubat pair. "We'll battle for it." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Now you're speaking my language," the Zubat scoffed. "If you win, the purse is all yours, plus everything inside of it. But, if we win, you have to turn around and never speak to us again. Oh, yeah, and we keep all your stuff." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Sounds like a fine plan to me," DJ boasted./span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" "DJ!" I groaned. "What if you lose?" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""I won't," he told me. "I'm sure I won't." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""But you can't beat them by yourself!" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""I'm not going to beat them by myself, I'm fighting with you, right?" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Me?" I choked. "Me? No, I can't fight, I don't know how. I can barely run, you saw." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""I know, I know," DJ sighed, defeated. "But have we got any other choice? I'm dead meat by myself." He looked at me straight in the eyes, biting his lip. "Please, Julie, this satchel means a lot to me. That's my stuff, it's really precious to me. Please." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I was silent for a moment, ignoring the caterwauls of the Koffing and Zubat duo. They shouted at us, demanding, "Hey, come on, short-stock, gunna help your guy or not?" The Zubat added on, "It's now or never, Treecko! We'll just bail, you know, if you don't hurry up." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I sighed then, inhaled deeply, trying not to let my nervousness show. Everything relied on me at this exact moment. If I screwed up, it'd mean the end of DJ's stuff, and most likely the very thin trust he had in me. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""All right," I said softly, going against my gut for what felt like the umpteenth time that day. "All right, fine, I'll help you. But you've got to help me help you." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""No problem, kid," DJ chuckled, crouching, like he was readying himself, getting into a fighting stance. "Of course I'll help you help me. That was part of the bargain, wasn't it?" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Not initially, I'm sure," I griped, but DJ ignored me. Whether that was on purpose or not, I really couldn't tell./span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" DJ approached the twosome in front of us, hands behind his back, a smug grin plastered on his face. "All right, then, we're ready. Are you guys ready?" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""We've been ready from the moment you showed your sorry behind," the Koffing scoffed, blowing more fumes from his pores. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"The gas hit the ceiling, folding over itself and coming back down to the ground, where it began to float like a foggy haze. I swallowed my uncertainty, blinking the smog out of my eyes. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Julie, are you ready?" DJ asked me, making me jump unnecessarily. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Maybe," I supplied. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"DJ took this as a sudden 'yes' and, without warning, charged the Koffing, but the opposing Pokemon responded by blowing more haze into the Treecko's eyes. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"DJ fell backward, and I followed him, leaping over rocks and debris to get at the Zubat. I jumped up, hoping I didn't land on the ground like DJ before me, and tackled myself into the outlaw. He yelped and fell with me, and I punched into his gut. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""DJ!" I yelled. "Get the Koffing, he's running!" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"DJ shook his head, coughing violently, then raced to get to his feet again. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I sat on the Zubat while DJ leapt at the Koffing, which he grabbed tightly. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Hey, let go!" the Koffing demanded fruitlessly, and DJ swung him round. Or, perhaps, the Koffing was swinging DJ round. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""DJ, come on!" I urged. "Punch him or something!" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"DJ yanked on the Pokemon in front of him and let go, tumbling backward. He gained his footing and landed a square fist into the Koffing's face, causing the purple Pokemon to spin around, wobbling like a globe on a stick. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""H-h-hey!" the Koffing gasped as DJ pounded into him again, which knocked the criminal into the far wall, where he smacked it and made a loud cracking noise. A small chasm split the rock in two, a crack in the wall that looked dangerously risky. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"The Koffing slid to the ground, breathing heavily, and a wide smile broke my face. I found myself being swept up in the excitement. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Yeah, DJ! Come on, let's grab your stuff and run," I said./span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"DJ laughed, stooping down to grab his satchel and swing it over his shoulder. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Thanks for the fun, guys, sorry we can't stick around to help you," he called over his shoulder, leading me out through the way we'd come initially. "We've got somewhere to go." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"He scaled the small cliff away from the pit, and lent me a hand to help me up. I took it and scrabbled to the top. As soon as the outlaws were out of sight, we took off, laughing and joking along the way, teasing about DJ's purse and how they wanted it so badly because it was the biggest thing in fashion at the moment. I didn't even notice that I'd climbed the incredibly high cliff face at the entrance of the cavern until I was already out at the beach, and, for some reason, that startled me. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"DJ and I paused at the seashore, panting and still chuckling a bit, remembering the predicament we had just gotten out of. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""They were no good at battling," he decided, leaning on his knees for support./span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" I lay down on the ground, my legs spread out in front of me. "You've got that right," I told him, breathing in the salty tang of the air around us. "Man, that was exciting. Remind me never to do that again." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""What, battle?" DJ asked. "But battling is so enthralling. That was such an easy fight. Wait until you find the big guys." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""There are guys bigger than them?" I croaked, only half joking. "Like, way bigger?" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Some are way bigger," DJ said, sitting down and moving his satchel so it lay on his lap. "Some are way smaller. Pokemon come in all shapes and sizes, you know. It's a miracle most of us get along." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""So, you don't discriminate each other," I stated, and DJ laughed. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""What? Well, kind of, sort of. It's not often, but some make fun of others for being a certain Pokemon, I suppose. In some of the worst parts of the island, it's really bad, but not around here. Around here, we get along. Treasure Town is a great place."/span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"He unzipped the pack and withdrew a large rock from the pocket, and I gaped. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""That's what we almost died for?" I crowed. "A rock?" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Not just any rock," DJ tried to prove to me. He flipped the stone so its face was toward me, and I studied the pattern on it. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""It's got a picture on it," I said, and DJ shrugged. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Well, yeah, but I don't think it's just any picture. It looks like some kind of pattern for something, like a specific design of sorts." He ran his finger along the face, his expression concentrated. "See how it kind of spirals here? I've never seen any kind of insignia like this before, but I'm sure it belongs somewhere." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"He looked up at me, blushing somewhat, as if he were embarrassed about his possession. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Uhm, well, I found it one day, anyway, and I guess it just spoke to me, you know? I love the idea of finding things no one else has ever found. Discovering something that is brand new to everyone, even myself, is my dream. It's kind of fascinating. To me, at least." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"He stood, shoved the stone into his knapsack and faced the sea, his eyes sparkling with admiration for his desires. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Can you imagine it, Julie? Places no one else has discovered? Hidden lands that are completely inhabited? Secret passages that have gone unearthed for centuries - no, eons? Caverns under the sea that no one has ever thought to explore? And what about all the mysterious treasures that come with these places? Wouldn't it be just amazing to find those treasures? Troves of gold and silver, all heaped up and ready for the taking. Not just gold and silver, either, weird objects like this stone here. There's probably a whole box of these rocks out there somewhere, all with the same inscription, but I'm the one who found them first." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"He stepped away from the surf, rubbing his arm. He caught himself talking so fervently about his aspirations, and chuckled to clear the air. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Ah, well, it's exciting to me, anyway. It always has been. I don't know if you think that's cool or not, but, I do." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""No, no, that's interesting," I said, only half lying. The idea of discovery was definitely intriguing, but I didn't know if it was what I'd wanted to do as a human. Should I abandon my path of self-discovery and follow DJ's dream? I didn't know what I should do, and I wasn't about to study my own lost personality while DJ was telling me something important. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"He sat down in front of me again, sighing audibly. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Say, I'm going to ask you a big favor," he said outright, which caused my heart to lurch. A big favor? What in the world could he want? /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Yeah?" I murmured, creasing my forehead. "A big favor? What?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" DJ rubbed his neck, then looked at me straight in the eyes, as if not allowing himself to back down. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Listen, earlier today, I went to the guild up on the cliff there. You know, the tent with the flags and the torches?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" I nodded absently, wondering where he could be going with this. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Yeah, I saw it," I said. "Your point?" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Well," DJ said quickly, a little too rapidly for comfort. "Well, I tried to join the guild earlier today, but -" He paused, sighed, then played with the sand at his feet. "But I got scared." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"He'd averted his attention from me, but now demanded it back. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"He added on quickly, "Don't look at me like that, all right! Sure, I got scared, but I was also embarrassed. Everyone goes to the guild to join as a emteam/em. No one goes up there as a single Pokemon team. Single Pokemon teams never last very long, so I bailed. I ran away from joining. I wasn't scared of joining, I was scared of what would happen once I joined." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""You don't seem the type to run away from his fears," I commented, and when DJ gave me a sour look, I didn't push the statement any further. Instead, I tried, "Don't you have any other friends who could join with you?" At this, the Treecko shrugged helplessly. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Well, yeah," he supplied. "But none of them like exploration like I do. They think it's a waste of time and it ruins your future. They say there's no money in a career like that, but I know there's got to be. And it's not all about the money, is it? I mean, haven't you ever done something just for the fun of it, not the profit?" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I shrugged, unsure. "I don't know," I aided. "I can't remember." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Oh, right," DJ uttered hopelessly. "Right, that's right. You can't remember a thing."/span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" He sighed and put his head in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees, which were drawn to his chest. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Well, come on, that's another reason to help me, right? Could you please join the guild with me? I promise it'd be worth it. I don't know, but I feel like we could make a good team, Julie. I know we've only known each other for the entirety of thirty minutes, but it's like I've known you for forever, if that makes any sense. We work well together." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"He gazed at me, pleading. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Please, Julie. I really want this. We could find out why you're a Pokemon now, if that helps any. We could figure out that mystery." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I had to halt for a moment, thinking about the consequences and the reward of the situation. If I joined DJ in making a team and enrolling at the guild, I could eventually figure out who I was, and what happened to me. He'd said something about exploration. If anything was going to help me unravel my strange secret, it was exploration and the yearning will to find out the answers to mysteries like mine. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I watched DJ, who looked at me expectantly. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""I'm sorry," he said. "Do you want to make a team with me? I know I'm a coward for not making my own team, but it'd mean a lot to me if you helped. I'm stooping down to my lowest here, kid. I can get down on my knees, if that'd help."/span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" I sighed, shook my head subtly. "I haven't got anywhere else to go," I decided, almost more to myself than to DJ. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I examined the ground, wondering where this choice in my life was going to bring me. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""And I'm stuck here if I don't do anything else. I've got to try something."/span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" DJ began to smile widely, looking excited suddenly, as if me saying I would join him had completely made his day. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""I guess I could join you in a team for now," I said, and DJ jumped up, his satchel almost smashing me in the face. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I ducked as he twirled round, shouting, "Yes! Thank you, Julie! Oh, Arceus, thank you so much!" He faced me, grinning largely. "You won't regret this, I swear! Thank you!" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""No problem," I said uncertainly. "Uhm, no problem." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I got to my feet, which were a lot sturdier than before now that I'd had to get used to them. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"The moon shone down on us uneventfully, as if nothing was wrong. It was a half disc in the sky, making the surf glitter like a thousand lightningbugs had been let loose upon it. Stars dotted the velvety black backdrop, and I connected them. Suddenly, they were a lot more familiar than previously, and I felt at home for some reason. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""We can't start tonight," DJ decided, gathering my attention again. "Hah, that'd be funny, visiting the guild at this hour." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I looked at him, and he seemed exuberant and excited, and I felt happy watching him. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""You can come to my place," he continued. "We can sleep there until tomorrow morning. We'll make a team then. It's not too hard, I'll show you." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Have you ever been inside of the guild?" I wondered, and DJ laughed nervously. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Well, not exactly," he said, and I noticed that, whenever he was nervous, he started every sentence with 'well'. "But, we'll figure it out, right? Look what we did today with that Koffing and Zubat! They were nothing compared to our skills!" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"He feigned punching at an imaginary opponent, still grinning. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""Come on, Julie, let's go back to my place. It's way too late to stay out here for much longer, and you saw what happened, right?" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"I nodded, suddenly feeling exhausted. The events of the past few hours had already begun to wear me out, and I wanted nothing more than to sleep in a soft bed. I hoped DJ's place wasn't too absurd. I wondered where Pokemon lived, but pushed it out of my mind. I didn't think it was an important thing to wonder./span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" "All right," I agreed absently. "All right, fine. Let's go, then." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif"DJ nodded, but didn't say anything more. Instead, he beckoned wildly to me, throwing his satchel higher over his shoulder, and led the way toward the cliff face. /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""You won't regret this, Julie," he was saying again, almost repetitively. "You won't regret this, I promise." /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif" /span/p  
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"span style="font-size:12.0pt;  
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Nintendo DS BIOS7\:12 Serif7\:12 Serif""If you keep saying that," I whispered under my breath. "I get the feeling that eventually I will."/span/p 


End file.
